Favorite Mangaka

[JigokuHime]

So who's your Favorite mangaka???
I have 3 favorite's so far and they are...

Yuu Watase- The mangaka who did Fushigi Yugi, Absolute Boyfriend and Imadoki
Kaori Yuki- The mangaka who did Count Cain, Godchild and Fairy Cube
Mayu Shinjo- The Mangaka who did Kaikan Phrase, Haou Airen and Akuma Na Eros.

So what r your's???

[Tyrdium]

I'll have to go with Hitoshi Ashinano (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yokohama_Kaidashi_Kikou).

[Zushio]

I'd say I'm torn between Naoki Urasawa (Monster, 20th Century Boys) and Iou Kuroda (Sexy Voice and Robo, Nasu). I like Urasawa for his amazing story telling and excellent art, while I enjoy Kuroda's works for their creativity, good story telling and distinctive art style.

I also have a soft spot for Kubo Tite, that's more of a guilty pleasure though as I just can't get over how good Bleach is.

[philnicau]

Adachi Mitsuru - Slow Step, H2, Rough, Nijiiro Tohgarashi, Itsumo Misora, Touch, Miyuki.

[Mana]

Junko Mizuno, creator of Pure Trance, Princess Mermaid, Cinderalla, Hell Babies, and quite a bit more, especially if you consider her toys, clothing line, and collaberation with others, such as writer/artist/musician Voltaire. Then again, I must love someone if I'm crazy enough to get a tattoo of their artwork on my back ;)

www.mizuno-junko.com

[Grasshopper]

Kentaro Miura. I'm sure this guy will come up several times. Berserk is definitely the greatest manga I've ever read. Evar. The artwork is dark and entrancing. It's just pure genius. Jeez, I need to go out and buy 13.

[Dirty Harry]

Tohru Fujisawa because GTO is good lol. >>

[Le Bread]

A not-so-short list in a not-so short order...

1.) Taiyo Matsumoto (Black & White, No. 5, Blue Spring, Ping Pong) - Sketchy and surreal, his art looks like a furious hybrid of the Beatles Yellow Submarine and pure manga grit. The paths his stories take are never obvious, and he has a real nose for taking entirely unrelated events and somehow making them seem like a, albeit not always obviously coherent, whole. He dreams to combine the styles of American comics ("which are cool"), European comics ("which are really smart") and Japanese comics ("which are really light hearted") into a single "World Comics" movement, an example I'd like to see artists around the globe take on just to see what they'd produce. My favorite artist, and one that never ceases to amuse.

2. Hiroaki Samura (Blade of the Immortal, Ohhikoshi) - This man is a drawing machine. The sketchy pencil drawing quality of his work is a sight to behold, and the cinematic pacing and arrangement of his action sequences sell you on the importance of every single confrontation. Not to mention the fact that Samura can spin a REALLY good yarn, with some of the arcs in Blade standing out in my mind as some of the best stories the manga medium has ever produced.

3. Junji Ito (Uzumaki, Gyo, Junji Ito Horror Museum) - The uncrowned King of Horror Comics. He possesses an enormous imagination, writing off-kilter suspense stories about topics WAY more abstract than the typical Hollywood slasher-fair. His art is passable, albeit simple, but really shines when he he fills a panel with a grisly or bizarre discovery. Ito's true strength lies in taking mundane, everyday things and twisting them in really unsettling ways until they're almost unrecognizable.

4.) Yukito Kishiro (Battle Angel Alita, Aqua Knight) - Nobody in manga builds a world quite like Kishiro. There doesn't seem to be a single aspect of the universes he creates that he doesn't seem to have a handle on, and he's got extensive footnotes and end of the book info padding to completely sell you on that. He's also got some stellar design sense, and a good eye for action choreography. Also worth mentioning is that he has a good sense for Drama and Comedy alike, and can write in either medium well.

5.) Hiroki Endo (Eden: It's An Endless World) - A talented artist that I've only recently become familiar with. Though I've yet to read much of his work, I'm impressed with Endo's sense of pacing and the emotional weight he's able to lay into his work when he really wants to. The ending to Volume 2 of Eden was absolutely gut wrenching and came completely unexpected. It's a very rare, but welcome occassion, when a twist in a manga shocks me, and I hope (and believe) that he'll keep me on the edge of my seat for the duration of the series. As with some of the others on my list, GREAT action choreographer, with some very well paced guerilla warfare action lining the books pages.

There are some others I could, and may yet go into, but they're mostly older guys or artists I'm starting to like but don't know too well yet, including...
Yudemetango (Kinnikuman), Leiji Matsumoto (Galaxy Express 999), Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima (Lone Wolf & Cub), Atsushi Kaneko (Bambi & Her Pink Gun), Tetsuo Hara (Fist of the North Star), Kiriko Nananan (Blue), and Ai Yazawa.

[Dennis]

Kosuke Fujishima - His art, like the storyline in Ah! My Goddess, has evolved over time. The fashions have shifted from late 80s to a more modern style. I really find his work especially his color pieces to be quite beautiful.

[Miaka Lee]

由貴 香織里 (Is that right?) or Yuki Kaori. She is an amazing artist and wonderful storyteller, with work such as Angel Sanctuary and Boys Next Door under her belt. She rarely appears at events or reveals much information about herself; therefore, little is known about her. That is one reason why I love her, she isn't caught up in the fame she has created but still is a good person (from what I've heard...>.>).

[Panwolf]

Tsugumi Ohba - Creator of Death Note! :D
Takeshi Obata - Artist of Hikaru no Go and Death Note
Yoshihiro Togashi - Creator and Artist of Hunter x Hunter and Yuuyuu Hakusho

[Milkymagic]

Yukito Kishiro for the sensational Battle Angel Alita, the best manga I've ever read, and his other works were good too. His art is quite gritty.

Rumiko Takahashi for Urusei Yatsura, that manga is still one of the funniest ever!

Mee is another favorite, Hyper Police is still a large personal favorite thanks to its weird environment and hilariously species-affected characters. Plus Mee's artstyle is one of the strangest I've witnessed, but quite enjoyable.

[DarkKanti]

Naoki Urasawa- 20th Century Boys, Monster, and Pluto

Adachi Mitsuru- H2, Touch, and Katsu

Tsutomu Nihei- Blame!, Biomega, and Abara

Kubo Tite- Zombie Powder and Bleach

[JigokuHime]

Rumiko Takahashi ^^ i love her storylines but i hate the fact that she over does it a little...InuYasha just gotta end.

[Dark Lord]

Rumiko Takahashi ^^ i love her storylines but i hate the fact that she over does it a little...InuYasha just gotta end.

Yes... Of course the beloved creator of Ranma 1/2, Maison Ikkoku, and Urusei Yatsura... Currently my favorite mangaka... Hmmm... So she made Inuyasha as well huh? Oh well...

[Pedro The Hutt]

In no particular order

Toriyama Akira: There, I said it. o: But no matter how you twist or turn it, Dr. Slump and Dragonball were very charming and highly entertaining (to downright hilarious) manga that have left their mark on today's generation of mangaka. Plus Suppaman is the stuff of legends.

Koshi Rikudo: Excel Saga is currently one of my most eagerly read manga. And unlike the anime, the manga shows an incredible amount of sharp wit, clever usage of words and more light hearted stabs at culture and society than you can shake a stick at. And of course plenty of geeky references.

Watsuki Nobuhiro: People who know me are probably aware that Rurouni Kenshin has been consistantly one of my favourite anime/manga since I first discovered it back in 2000 or 2001. From his character designs to the way he tells his stories to even his adorable rants in the manga, he's just a very likable mangaka.

Takahashi Rumiko: As others mentioned, she's responsible for some of the funniest manga out there. You've got to love Ranma ½'s whole... pick up and go-ness. As soon as you know the entire main cast you can pick up a given volume and have a good laugh. Although it pays off to read it from A to Z.

Koge Donbo: Di Gi Charat, cute incarnate, yet much amusing. Same for Pita-Ten.

And I'm sure there's some more that I forgot to mention and/or properly elaborate upon. <.<;;

[JigokuHime]

I've read InuYasha, Ranma 1/2 and Mermaid Saga...
but i haven't read Rumiko's other manga's...Are any of the other ones good?

[Mr. Otaku]

Ken Akamatsu- Love Hina, A. I. Love You, Negima
Kou Fumizaki- Ai Yori Aoshi
Rumiko Takahashi- Ranma 1/2, Inu Yasha, Maison Ikkoku

[L-sama]

Rumiko Takahashi - InuYasha, Maison Ikkoku, Ranma 1/2
I LOVE reading her works. They're all genuinely funny and have a charm to them that can't be resisted.

Nobuhiro Watsuki - Rurouni Kenshin, Yahiko no Sakabatto, Buso Renkin
Though BR is a bit of a let down on the small screen, I'm still a huge fan of Watsuki. His consistently great artwork is what really makes me a fan.

Kiyohiko Azuma - Azumanga Daioh!, Yotsuba&?
One word: HILARIOUS! Azuma had me hooked on AzuDai! and now I am a devoted follower of her crazyness!

[Pachinko]

Yazawa Ai - the woman is pure genius. From her completely chic storylines to her absolutely breath-takingly fashionable artwork, what's a girl like me not to like?

=3

[wolf13]

Rumiko Takahashi ^^ i love her storylines but i hate the fact that she over does it a little...InuYasha just gotta end.

Yeah... Inu-yasha gotta end (quite a long story... and it's getting quite of... "unpleasing" esp. the anime...)

Well back to the question...:hapbounce

I like Tsuda Masami, the one who made Kareshi Kanijyo no Jijyo... (BTW I don't know other manga that she made...) and Nabuhiro Watsuki... the guy who made Rurouni Kenshin and other samurai manga...
:respect:

[Minnie]

I have to say Yazawa Ai too. I relate to the world she portrays in her works, and there's nothing but deep admiration in the way she is able to bring out such strong emotions in me through her artwork, in just the way she draws facial expressions.

I was reading Gokinjo Monogatari yesterday and teared up real bad at this father-daughter reunion beach scene. xD; *dork~*

Well, uh, there you are. I haven't read that many manga for a while. (I'd also like to say Suzue Miuchi just so I can goad her into finishing Glass Mask, goddamnit! It's been 30 years already! D: )

[Kiffles]

Shin Takahashi (Saikano), and Koge-Donbo (DiGi Charat, Pita-Ten)

They're bags of awesome. :< BAGS.

[SweetDreams]

Kyoko Hikawa (From Far Away) her sidepanel banter is hilarious and charming and I like her artstyle!

Miki Aihara (Hot Gimmick) for crushing my heart when azusa turned out to be a bad guy..completely unexpected!!!!

[Dagda Mor]

I love Kubo Tite's unique flair, Tsutomu Nihei's conceptual brilliance, and Kentarou Miura's dedication and storytelling skill; but when it comes to the favorite mangaka I have to say Kouta Hirano of Hellsing fame. A unique, stirring artistic style, a gripping style, conceptual innovation; and of course, he's just plain crazy.

[Minnie]

Also a big fan of Nakamura Yoshiki now, after reading Tokyo Crazy Paradise and currently obsessing over Skip Beat! She's an awesome mangaka. =O